Life Challenges
In the past I thought my main life challenges were always about relationships and being a public school art teacher. This past year I retired, planned a house, built it, substitute taught high school art for six weeks, then moved a 100 miles south from where I raised my kids. It felt right but it was a bit much for one year.
My revised big shift was smashing my radius, a bone in my left wrist. After three weeks I then had surgery because it was not in proper position. What a mind shift to not be able to even touch the fingers on that hand to steady anything at all. My art was always two hands, things like metals, clay, sewing, gardening, knitting and of course glass.
The surgery extends the recovery time and I have been thinking of this time as mindfulness training. I have been reading about meditation and trying to meditate. My daughter says that is what it is about, trying. So I do that.
Lampworking
My medium is melting glass, known as lampworking. A two handed activity with a propane and oxygen torch. I also design and wire the beads. Previously I did art shows and had a lampwork teaching studio and gallery.
Now I am working on making meditation tokens or reminders to keep your mindful intentions front of mind. The larger lentil shaped glass can be held as you contemplate and the smaller ones could be clipped to a bag or a water bottle as reminders of your intention.
Starting Over
Since the move I am taking classes from Renae Christine to learn about marketing for a product based online business. There are many YouTube videos by Art By Starla Moore and many others. Now that I am on hold with melting glass, I am learning about blogs.
Blogs
So now, I am taking classes from Meylssa Griffin and Alysson Stanfield and trying to figure out a blog to go with my concept of Mindful Glass. I want to make Art Glass that inspires us to meditate and makes us think of our world. There is so much to learn. I feel like I am working on another masters!
Facebook Group
My Mindful Minders Group on FB hopes to create a conversation about how we can mindfully mind ourself and our enviornment.
I want to know how you mindfully care for yourself or the planet. My latest goals are to make time for calm, eventually meditate and for the planet use less plastic. I have had a home worm farm for the last few years. It is about small things… I hope we can share all the small things we do.
Join us on FB at Mindful Minders Group. I would love to hear your ideas.
